Ethan Knight July 30, 2012

Ethan Knight (b.1980, New Zealand) is a freelance documentary photographer, who currently divides his time between New York and South East Asia. In the past nine years, Ethan’s work has taken him to many different countries covering various humanitarian crises including the aftermath of the Pacific tsunami in Western Samoa, and the post civil war effects in Sierra Leone and Northern Sri Lanka. His images have appeared in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Geographic, New Zealand Geographic, Lonely Planet Images, and The Samoa Observer.

About the Photograph:

“This image was taken on assignment in Pattani, the deep south of Thailand. Since 2004, there have been over 4,000 fatalities due to the conflict between local Malay Muslims and the Thai authorities. In the three provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, local Malay Muslims present a mirror image of national demographics, with ninety-five percent of the population identifying as Muslim and five percent as Buddhist compared to the national statistical average of 95 percent Buddhist and five percent Muslim. These statistics help us understand the ongoing conflict as a problem of identity and social cohesiveness. This particular image was shot in a segregated Malay-Muslim area outside a girls school. For me it conveys a sense of isolation of a closed world between these two ethic groups.”

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Photographer and photo editor Geoffrey Hiller has created Verve Photo to feature photographs and interviews by the finest contemporary image makers today. Verve Photo is a reminder of the power of the still image. Verve Photo will also point you to new photo agencies, publications, and inspiring multimedia projects.